U.S. futures indicated a higher opening Thursday as U.K. voters will decide whether the nation will stay in the European Union or not.
European markets are in the green as they await the results of the referendum. U.K.'s FTSE 100 was up 1.2% with several hours before the market closes. Two of the Asian markets closed with gains, the Hang Seng and the Nikkei were both up slightly, while the Shanghai Composite closed down about 0.5%.
Bank of America (BAC) shares jumped in early trading by nearly 2% on the news that the company is nearing a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The Journal reported that Bank of America is in discussions with U.S. regulators about paying $400 million to $450 million. The SEC has been investigating whether the bank had proper controls for some customer accounts and retail brokerage funds. A settlement could be announcement as soon as Thursday, according to the Journal.
A new company is coming to the New York Stock Exchange Thursday, Twilio (TWLO). The cloud communications platform announced the pricing of its public offering of 10 million shares of Class A common stock at a price of $15 per share, which means that Twilio raised $150 million in the offering. This is higher than the originally planned share price of $12 to $14, according to a Reuters report. Twilio was founded in 2008 and embeds real-time communication and authentication capabilities into software applications.
Shares of Growth Seeker holding, Amazon (AMZN), were up slightly before the bell despite news that the Federal Aviation Administration is fining the company for allegedly mishandling shipments of dangerous chemicals. A Wall Street Journal report says the FAA would fine Amazon $130,000, marking the third fine in less than two weeks for violating rules related to shipping hazardous materials by air. Earlier this month, the FAA fined the e-commerce giant $350,000 for a similar alleged violation that occurred in 2014, the Journal reported.
Home Depot (HD) shares were up about 0.8% as Nomura analysts upgraded the company to Buy from Neutral. In a research note Thursday, analysts said they believe that "market share gains, competitive advantages, a solid underlying market and strong management" position the company for future growth. The analysts increased their earnings estimates to $6.33 from $6.30 for this fiscal year and upped the price target by $5, to $155.
-- Written by Anders Keitz
